Political stalwart LK Advani's journey to Bharat Ratna: A timeline
LK Advani will be awarded the Bharat Ratna, the government announced on February 3. He served as the Home Minister and later, the Deputy Prime Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government from 1999 to 2004. His role in public life is seen as significant in shaping the post-1980 era of Indian politics.
LK Advani, born in Karachi in 1927, studied at St Patrick's School until matriculation. He joined RSS in 1942 and enrolled in Dayaram Gidumal National College during the Quit India movement. After working as a teacher in Karachi, he moved to Delhi during Partition in 1947. (Image: PTI)
Syama Prasad Mookerjee created the Jana Sangh, the BJP's forerunner, in 1951, and Advani became one of its early members. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1970, where he served until 1989. In December 1972, he was elected President of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. (Image: PTI)
Advani was appointed as the information and broadcasting minister in 1977, during Morarji Desai's tenure as prime minister. (Image: ANI)
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He and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were instrumental in forming the BJP in 1980. He rose to fame in the 1990s as a leader in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which advocated for the construction of a temple on the disputed site in Ayodhya. (Image: PTI)
